I wanted to share an experience. I’ve been a freelance translator for more than twenty years. And I used a computer quite early, I think [if there is anybody who remembers, my first machine was a Commodore 8032 – 32 kB RAM, imagine! -, software something like WordPro 4+ or so (nothing to do with Lotus, as far as I know)]. I always used to pay for my software despite of the “Aren’t you crazy” questions of my friends (I’ve known people who didn’t even bother to pay for [Win]Zip which they used every day), including the corresponding updates (somewhat later, I think, when I changed to IBM [or compatible] my first version of Word was 1.x or so, wasn’t that the Middle Ages?). And I can’t recall the number of updates I paid for just for this program.

But you’re never that safe. I acquired Trados a while ago, plus, later, an update to the latest version 5, if my memory doesn’t deceive me (should be about 1,300 Euros altogether). I’m not quite sure of that because I delayed its installation – until there was the fire. I mean, I real fire that destroyed about everything there was in my office. I won’t talk about true losses, that’s a few books in the first place, of course (something like a first edition of Borrow’s “Bible in Spain” among others), but there also was a Trados dongle melted down to I don’t know what.

My insurance say they won’t pay for a license because a license is a right which can’t burn, and I can understand their point of view. Trados, however, have another point of view – they say: no dongle, no license. The dongle is the license. Leave out some hours of telephone conversations to Stuttgart or Madrid, I just did it ‘cause I had to. I acquired a second full license, again for almost 1,000 Euros. Any hints at what I’ve done wrong? Just for the next time, I mean (which, of course, I hope will never happen – what’s more, I sincerely hope it will never happen to any of you).

Detlef

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